Vehicle-top bow-clamp.



E. THOMPSON. 'VEHICLE TOI BOW CLAMP. .APPLICATION FILED APILZB, 1911.

PatentedJm. 23, 1912.

entran srniras Pagani ornron.

RALPH. THOMPSON, t*OF*BROClKILIIlTIE, MASSACHUSETTS, .ASSIGNOR T A. E.THOMPSON,

TRUSTEE, OF BRQOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

vnmonn'ror Bow-"CLAr/LP.

specification of Letters raient.-

Paten'ted an. 23, 1912.

Application filed AprilI 28, 1911. Serial No. 623,868.

citizen ot' the United States, and a resident of Brookline, in thecounty of Norfolk and .State olt Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Vehicleffop Bow-Clamps, of which t-he`following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for confining in a folded conditionthetop of an automobile or other vehicle, said top being composed of bowshinged to the body, and a flexible cover supported by the bows. Then thetop is folded the end portions of the bows extend approximatelyhorizontally backward from the hinges that connect them with the body,and are disposed side by side in tiers. j

My invention is embodied in a clamp `of which two are used, one for eachtier of bow-ends, each'clamp including a lower aw adapted to be rigidlyand detachably secured to a iixed supporting member on the vehicle bodyand having a seat i'ormed to engage and support the lower bow, said jawbeing provided at the outer portion of said seat with one part or memberof a quickly detachable coupling, a movable upper jaw formed to engageand press downwardly on the upper bow, and havinga downwardly projectingshank and pressure-applying mechanism connecting said jaws and adaptedto relatively adjust the jaws in such manner as to apply a forcibleclamping pressure to the tier of bows, and to maintain said pressure,the said connecting mechanism including a tension member provided with aplurality of complemental coupling vparts or members adapted tointerchangeably and detaehably engage the coupling member in the lowerjaw, the construction being such that the pressure may be readilyapplied and removed, and that the upper.

jaw and the connecting mechanism may be quickly engaged with andseparated from thelower jaw, so thatfwhen "the device is not in use theymay be quickly yremoved and storedfth'e lower jaw being allowed toremainin' :place on ,the fixed supporting' member and being adapted totake the place ot an ordinary bow rest or support. applied as heretoforeto the ixed'supporting member.

GI" the accompanying drawings which form a part of this speciiication,-l`igure 1 represents aside elevation of the preferred embodiment .of myinvention applied to a tier of bovwsyFig. 2 represents a section on line2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3' represents a view `similar to a portion o1 Fig.2*; showing a modification; Fig. 4 represents a side View of a secondmodification; Fig. 5 represents an edge view of themodification shown byFig. 4; Figs. G and 7 representv respectively side and edge views of athird modification; Fig. 8 represents a side view of a fourthmodification; Fig. 9 represents a substitute for the chain shown byFigs. 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8.

Same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all thei'igures.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, 12 represents a ixed jaw or resthaving a grooved upper surface on which the lower bow 13 of the'topbears, `and a shank 14 which is apertured to receive a iixed supportingmember such as a bracket 0r stud lattached to the vehicle body, theshank 14 having a set 4screw 1G whereby it may be rigidly and detachablyattached to the stud. .ln practice, the jaw 12 is usually allowed toremain on the vehicle as a permanent fixture, the described attachingmeans enabling it to be vsubstituted for an ordinary bow rest.

17 represents the movable jaw which is Ihooked to engage the upper bow13, and is 'strap 21, and at its opposite end with the fixed jaw 12,saidV tension member being preferably a short chain. The outer portionof the jaw 12 is extended to form a flange 12u overhanging the shank 14,said Harige having a slot 21 adapted to receive one of the chain links.`ln the under side of the flange are notches or recesses 25 opening intothe slot 24. and adapted to receive the upper end of the 'chain linkbelow the link received by the sai-l slot. The slotted and recessedflange constiti'ltes a coupling part on the fixed jaw, and the chainlink engaged with the recesses 25 constitutes a complemental couplingpart on the tension member, said coupling parts permitting a quickseparation of the tension member from the lixedjaw when it is desired toremove the movable jaw and its attachments. Either of several .links ofthe chain may serve as a coupling part so that `various portions of thechain may be interchangeablyengaged with the fixed jaw. When the lever18` is turned upwardly, as shown, its eccentric hub moves the strap 21in the direction required to exert tension on the tension member 22, theeiect being to draw Athe upper jaw 17 toward the lower jaw and clamp theinterposed bows. Means are provided for locking the lever to the shank17n to main- .tain the tension on the member 22. As here shown, thelever 1S is provided'with a teat 28 adapted by the resilience of thelever to spring into an orifice 29 in the shank 17, the lever being thuslocked:

vA modiiication is shown by Fig. 3, in which the coupling member on thefixed jaw 12 is a hook 31, the tension-member being composed ofscrew-threaded rods 32,' onel engagingthe hook 31, and the other theeccentric strap 21,. and a turn-buckle 33 connecting said rods thelength of -the tension members being adjustable by a manipulation of theturn buckle. j

In the embodiment of the invention shown by Figs. 4 and 5, thepressure-applying mechanism is composed of -a lever 34 pivoted at 35 tothe shank 17b of the upper jaw and a chain tension member 36 connectedat 37 with the lever 34. A movement of the lever 34 to the positionshown, exerts tension on the member 36, the latter beingI en'- gaged asdescribed with a fixed'jaw. The lever 34 is provided with an ear 38adapted to pass through a slot in the shank 17h and engage aspring-pressed locking bolt 39 mov- Y able in guides on said shank.

Figs. 6 and 7 show as the ressure-applying mechanism a lever 40 ulcrumedon a boss 41 on the shank 17c of the upper jaw 17 ,artension membercompos d of a slide'42 mov'ble on the shank 17c,/a chain 43 en-` gag lwith the slide and links 44 pivoted -at 4t? to the slide andat '47 tothe lever 40.

A movement of the levier from the'fullline tothe dotted line positionFig. 7 exerts '.tension on the tension member, the :tulcrum'41 being soarrangedrelatively to the pivots 46 and 47, that when the lever iselevated it will 'befretained by the tension on the 'tension member. j

Fig. 8 shows a simpler embodiment ofthe Y. invention in which thepressure-applying mechanism is contained in the tension member andcomprises a turn buckle 49, threaded rods 50 engaged therewith,connections 51 between the lower rod and the lixed jaw, and connections52 between the upper rod 50 and theshank 17d ot the u per jaw. -In thisembodiment the turn bue' e 49 consti.-

' tutes p adj ustably connected with an equivalent of either oftheylevers previously described, asa means of, applying 'clamping pressureto the upper `a.w.

Each of the above-described. embo ii'nents.`

of the invention includes a lower jaw adapted to be xedly, andAdetachably secured to a fixed supporting'member'l on a vehicle body asasubstitute for an Ordinar bow rest such as hasheretoore been attac ed tosaid member, said jaw having aseat for the lower bow of a folded top',and a coupling member at the outer portion of said Seat, an upperjawadapted to bear on the'upper bow, and having a downwardly projqctmgshank, ,and pressure applying.v mechanism lonnectingsaid jaws andincluding'a tension member adjustably connected with said lementalcoupling members adapted to be interchangeably and detachably engagedshank and provided with a pluralityjof comwith the coupling member onthe lower jaw,

and means for exerting tension on said tension member to press the up erjaw toward the lower jiw and hold t e jaws firmly against the upper andlower bows, said-cou- 'pling members beingadapted to be quicklyconnected and disconnected so that the minlmum expenditure of time isrequired in installing aiid removingthe upper jaw and the javv-connecting mechanism. In'eacli of said embodiments the upper jaw andits connections, to wit, the pressure-appl ing mechanism, are removableas one part rom the lower jaw, so that when the clamp is not required,all its obtrusive parts may be quickly removed, only the unobtrusivelower jaw remaining in-place. The coupling parts withwhich the lower jawand the pressureapplying mechanism are provide enable the clamp to berendered operative 'bythe simple operation ot applying the upper jaw tothe top bow, and coupling the tension member. o thapressure-applyingmechanism to the lower jaw. l A bar 61 may be substituted for the chain22 as shown by Fig. 9,*said bar bein piv-y oted at 63 to the eye 23 andprovide withv 'laterallyprojecting pairs, the pins of eac pair beingadapted to interchangeablyengage the recesses 25 iii the fixed jaw 12.

l claim,- 1. A bow clamp comprising a bow-supe porting lower jaw adaptedtov e secure to a fixed supporting member and det'acliablyy ins .62arranged in pling member at the outer portion ,of said seat, an upperjaw formed to beuV onthe upper bo/w and having a downwa vdly projectingshank, a depending tension member said shank and having a plurality ofcoupling members adapted to inteicliangeabl engage the coupling mem eron thejl'ower jaw, and means for exerting tension on' said anddetachably member to low'er Jew. i Y

2. A bow clamp comprising a bow-sup porting lower jew, adapted tobe/dctechably press the upper jaw toward the secured to a lixodsupporting member andV ing adjustable to exert tension on the tensionmember and press the upper jaw to-- ward the lower jew, and means beingprovldetl for locking the lever to the shank in its tension-exertingadjustment.

3. A bow clump comprising a bow-supporting lower jew adapted to bedetaclmbly secured to :i fixed supporting member und having a seat forthe lower bow and a. coupling member et the outer portion of seid sent,an upper jaw formed to bear on the upper bow and having a. downwardlyproj ecting shank, an outwardly projecting stud, und on orifice aboveseid stud, a lever having vmi eccentric hub adapted to turn on said studand e tent adapted to spring into engegement with said orifice, a,vstrap sur.

rounding said hub,v and a tension member depending from seid strep andprovided with a plurality of coupling members edepted to detachably andinterchanveably engage the coupling member on the lower jaw, the leverbeing adjustable to exert tension on the tension memberend-press theupper jaw toward the lower jew, and the lever teal: und the shankorifice being adapted to lock the lever in its tension-exertingadjustment. In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature, inpresence of two witnesses.

RALPH THOMPSON. Witnesses C. F. BROWN, P. W. PEzzE'rTI.

